Ephyra
Ephyra was the capital city of both the nation of Tyrus and the Coalition of Ordered Governments during the Pendulum Wars. The city was built upon Jacinto Plateau, one thought to be impregnable, but was attacked by the Locust Horde on Emergence Day and then fell to the Locust a decade later, suffering catastrophic damage. During the day, much of the city was under the Locust's total control, and at night it was overrun by Kryll. Only a few pockets of Stranded human survivors remained in Ephyra until the Lightmass Offensive. Following the end of the Locust War, the destruction wrought on Ephyra had rendered the surrounding terrain geologically unstable, and over the following years parts of the city began to collapse and sink as the ground subsided. Despite this, the reformed COG and DB Industries built a new capital city, New Ephyra, adjacent to the ruins of what became known as Old Ephyra. By 42 A.E., Old Ephyra remained uninhabited aside from the Pickers, but DB Industries had begun shoring up some structures in preparation for their eventual restoration. Unfortunately, the city was once again savaged by warfare when the Swarm emerged and instigated the Battle of Old Ephyra. History Silver Era At the height of the Kashkur Empire during the Silver Era, approximately five hundred years before Emergence Day, Ephyra was only a small village in Tyrus.Gears of War: Anvil Gate Pendulum Wars During the Pendulum Wars, Ephyra housed the CIC in the House of Sovereigns.Gears of War: Aspho Fields From here, Operation Leveler was planned. This led to the eventful downfall of the majority of the UIR nations and the joining of the COG.Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant Locust War Emergence Day On E-Day, the Locust managed to breach into Ephyra, causing widespread destruction and chaos. The entire city was declared a red-zone by COG command. A squad of Gears under the command of Corporal Minh Young Kim rendezvoused with Colonel Victor Hoffman's convoy of commandeered civilian vehicles as it arrived at the House of Sovereigns. Kim's squad defeated a Locust incursion and killed a Corpser using a Hammer of Dawn. While Kim escorted Hoffman and Lieutenant Anya Stroud inside the building, the rest of his squad defended the building's entrance against successive waves of Drones, Boomers, and Reavers. Unfortunately, the Hammer of Dawn went offline, and Kim's squad was wiped out by a Reaver.Gears of War 4 Hammer of Dawn counterattack One year after E-Day, the newly-elected Chairman Richard Prescott called for a massive COG counterattack against the Locust stronghold in southern Tyrus, but was unable to rally any COG state except for the South Islands. At this point, he decided to use the Hammer of Dawn for a massive scorched earth attack against all Locust held areas, denying the Locust any gains on the ground. This led to Ephyra becoming overcrowded with thousands of COG citizens from across Sera who flocked to the city for shelter. Fall of Ephyra In 10 A.E., the Locust Horde finally broke through the granite bedrock of Jacinto Plateau, overrunning much of the plateau including Ephyra. The Battle of Ephyra ended with the Locust claiming most of the southern half of the city. The COG moved government operations to Jacinto, which became the new capital. Southern Ephyra was looted by Locust and Stranded, and Kryll infested many abandoned buildings. The massive Kryll infestation forced both the Locust and Stranded to take shelter at dusk in order to avoid being torn to shreds. Lightmass Offensive In 14 A.E., the COG launched the Lightmass Offensive, an ambitious operation to locate and destroy the Locust stronghold using a Lightmass Bomb. Alpha Squad was initially sent to Ephyra to deploy a Sonic Resonator within the Locust tunnels there and chart them, but Alpha was overwhelmed by Locust forces. Delta Squad was then deployed to find and assist Alpha. Alpha's surviving members were folded into Delta, and the squad fought its way through Ephyra's ruins to acquire a vehicle in order to reach Lethia Imulsion Facility.Gears of War Aftermath of the Lightmass Offensive In the aftermath of the Lightmass bombing at Timgad Valley on Ephyra's outskirts, the Locust's hold on the city had weakened, and the Kryll breeding grounds were completely wiped out.Beneath the Surface: An Inside Look at Gears of War 2. The Stranded were able to walk their farm animals at night freely. COG papers claimed that Ephyra was liberated, though the Locust Horde was still able to wage guerrilla warfare in the city during the Evacuation of North Gate. In the months following the Lightmass Offensive, seismic activity caused by the Riftworm severely damaged the city. Interwar Period During the period of peace and reconstruction that followed the Locust War, the reconstituted COG opted to rebuild human civilization by constructing a series of planned, walled cities known as settlements, rather than reconstructing the devastated old cities. The city remained abandoned and New Ephyra was founded as the new capital of the COG, just outside the ruins of old Ephyra. Several outposts were built across the ruined city, like the DeeBee facility established in front of the ruined House of Sovereigns. The new COG's military airfield was also erected within old Ephyra's limits. Squads of DBs worked in the city to recycle the debris into raw materials for use in the construction of new Settlements, as well as restore heritage sites under the direction of the Ministry of Preservation. The Ephyran ruins were also home to Pickers, people who descended from the Stranded. As a result, very few COG residents or personnel would travel into the city. Swarm War Battle of Old Ephyra Geography Ephyra was a major Tyran urban center located on the Jacinto Plateau. The city was built on top of granite and a dead volcano,Gears of War: The Slab pg 4 but the outlying areas of the city stretched over softer rock and fissures that rendered it vulnerable to Locust tunneling. The area surrounding Ephyra is mostly woodland and the wealthier district of East Barricade has a view of a nearby mountain range. The Timgad Valley flanking East Barricade is somewhat desert. A river runs through the city center and outer boroughs. Notable Landmarks *Aspho Gas Station *Bank of Tyrus *Chancery Bridge *East Barricade Academy *Embry Square *Franklin's Outpost *Haldane Hall *House of Sovereigns *National Museum of Ephyra *Olafson Intermediate School *Pomeroy Barracks *Rotunda *Theater of the Muses *Tomb of the Unknowns Streets *13 Street *5 Viaduct *12 Viaduct *Allfathers Avenue *Almar Street *F. Street *La Croix Boulevard *Parkway *Porto *Sovereign Boulevard *Unity Street Gallery Ephyra1.jpg Ephyra2.jpg Ephyra3.jpg Ephyra4.jpg Ephyra5.jpg Ephyra6.jpg Ephyra7.jpg Ephyra8.jpg Ephyra9.jpg Ephyra10.jpg Ephyra11.jpg Ephyra12.jpg Ephyra13.jpg Ephyra14.jpg Ephyra15.jpg Ephyra16.jpg ephyraborder.jpg Appearances *''A Pendulum Wars Story'' *''Gears of War: Judgment'' *''RAAM's Shadow'' *''The Slab'' *''Gears of War'' *''Gears of War Ultimate Edition'' *''Aspho Fields'' *''Last Day'' *''Jacinto's Remnant'' *''Anvil Gate'' *''Coalition's End'' *''Gears of War 3'' *''Gears of War 4'' *''Ascendance'' *''Gears 5'' References Category:Cities Category:COG Category:Locations